Learning in Places

Developed collaboratively by The University of Washington, Northwestern University, Tilth Alliance, and Seattle Public Schools, Learning in Places is a network of educators, families, and community partners focused on developing learning resources to support field-based science education in outdoor places for preK–5 audiences. Website visitors can access videos, nature-inspired activities, and more for formal and informal educators and families. Many materials are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese (Mandarin) languages. 

For example, the Focused Walk series (found under Tools/Videos) features videos of a second-grade elementary teacher leading nature-inspired tours of the schoolyard and discussing topics like relationships between plants and animals, between humans and animals, and more; species, kinds, and behaviors, observing phenomena like a scientist; and connecting the history of a place. Similarly, the Families section contains downloadable activities that foster curiosity and encourage families to go outside and explore together. The activities can be adapted for use in various settings: school, home, or after-school programs or camps. 

Environmental Health Investigators

The Environmental Health Investigators curriculum was designed with input from middle school teachers and students by the STEM Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville over the course of a five-year program funded by the National Institutes of Health. This NGSS-aligned freely downloadable curriculum emphasizes students taking an active role in community-based research to address environmental health and includes interdisciplinary elements and creativity through the use of the Photovoice method, a visual research method in which participants to take photos as part of the research. The 27 activities, organized into three modules, are designed to help generate interest in health sciences and build written and verbal communication skills through authentic investigations in a real-world context. A PDF version is available at https://stemcenter.siue.edu/outreach/programs/environmental-health-investigators/; a Microsoft Word version of the curriculum is available by contacting stemcenter@siue.edu.

Teaching Scientific Literacy: The Case of the Lead Bones

This activity posted in the Library of Congress (LOC) blog Teaching with the Library teaches science literacy and helps high school students understand the differences between science and pseudoscience. Students reflect on the nature of science by analyzing several primary source documents relating to scientists’ ideas about the impact of lead on the human body throughout history. The documents include a letter written by Benjamin Franklin in 1786 describing the “mischievous Effect from Lead”; a newspaper article from 1924 reporting on industrial poisonings resulting from lead fuel additives that, in 1923, General Motors and Standard Oil’s Ethyl Corporation had recently begun to produce; and two newspaper articles, written 47 years apart, critiquing experiments conducted by Robert Kehoe, a physiologist hired by the automotive industry to address lead concerns and help develop workplace safety procedures and lead exposure guidelines for the general population. The activity guides teachers and students through an analysis of each source, presenting questions to prompt thinking and generating relevant class discussions about the distinctions between science and pseudoscience.

Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program

Wisconsin nonprofit Wild Ones provides grants of up to $500 to advance its mission of spreading awareness of the benefits of using native plants. The funds are provided for acquiring native plants and native seeds for projects that engage youth (preschool to high school) directly in planning, planting, and caring for native plant gardens. Applications for the 2025 planting season are due by November 15.

Fund for Teachers Grants

Fund for Teachers, a national nonprofit, invites teachers in the United States with at least three years of classroom experience to design fellowships that enrich their careers, support student success, and strengthen schools and communities. Fellowships can take place worldwide. Individuals may apply for up to $5,000, and teams may apply for up to $10,000. (While team members may be from different schools, districts, or states, all members must meet the eligibility criteria). Fellowships should begin after the last day of school in the spring and be completed by the first day of school in the fall.

See also https://www.facebook.com/fundforteachers. Apply by January 23, 2025.

Summer Institute—LiftOff 2025: Flight Paths Toward Innovation

The 2025 LiftOff Summer Institute is a weeklong (June 22–27, 2025) training event at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and is sponsored by the University of Texas Center for Space Research. This year’s theme is "Flight Paths to Innovation." Attendees will explore NASA’s supersonic X-59 aircraft, advancements in satellite technology, and the Artemis program, NASA’s initiative to return humans to the Moon. Teachers will attend presentations by NASA scientists and engineers, tour NASA facilities, and receive hands-on, inquiry-based classroom activities aligned to education standards. 

Applicants must be U.S. citizens currently employed as classroom teachers of grades 5–12 with at least one year of teaching experience before the institute takes place. Apply by December 20.